Three poems by John C. Goodman

Today Only!
 
beside the photograph
       is an advertisement
 
the photograph shows a woman
       barefoot
       in the ruins of her home
       <what was it? – tornadohurricanetsunamiearthquake>
 
       she appears to be weeping
 
the advertisement is for shoes
       50% off – hurry! today only! buy now!
 
it is impossible to buy shoes for the woman in the photograph
 
for her
       it is not today



 
Grief
there is no other word for it
                                             : Grief
 
the shrouds are white
               the tears are reflexive
                              the anguish is profound
 
it is quiet here
               except for the crickle of newspapers
                              as the cat walks over them
 
scratch of sunlight on the carpet
 
it is loud there
               with the crying and thunderous tears
 
the shrouds make a soft ploufing sound
               like fresh bedsheets on a summer morning



 
green
               so green
the bayonets seem out of place
and the rifles they are attached to
and the soldiers holding the rifles
 
blue
               so blue
the bodies beside the road
seem out of place
their positions
               awkward unaffected unique
 
no one can smell the stench from here
nor hear the silence
               of their breathing



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 Bio: John C. Goodman is a Canadian writer and Pushcart Prize nominee. He has published three collections of poetry, most recently Dark Age (Grey Borders), as well as a novel which was short-listed for an Arthur Ellis Award, and a novella, The Duck Lake Chronicles (Quattro Books). He also authored the non-fiction work Poetry: Tools & Techniques (Gneiss Press). John is the past editor of ditch, (www.ditchpoetry.com), an online magazine of experimental poetry. He currently lives in British Columbia, Canada. 

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